Just a little curous about this project since it doesn't explain why you'd want an amp in the first place unless you need to turn things up to 11. (yes making things is fun - period)

If you run earbuds then most MP3 devices have more than enough output, so you don't get much out of the amp.

The output is only as good as the input from your mp3 device and source files (lossy encoding) so it won't improve the sound quality.

The reason behind using these amps is usually to deliver smoother sounds by having eliminating AC noise if at home, or to improve sound quality from devices when using headphones which require more power (generally does not apply to earbuds) than the music playing device can provide.

WARNING: Be sure to read both Required and Optional Parts List listed on the tangentsoft.net site AND note that YOU WILL NEED parts listed from the "Optional Parts" list if you want your Cmoy to have, oh, say battery clips, a power switch and a volume knob. If you overlook this "Optional parts" list and order only from the "Required parts" you will be angry and will have to place another order. Why these parts are listed as "Optional" is beyond me.

Posted by
H3C70R on January 16, 2006 at 01:35:10 Pacific Time

Will this work with a mini-disc condenser mic to linein?You must be logged in to reply.

It seems that this little amp would be perfect for boosting the signal from a mini-disc stereo mic to a linein channel.

What do you think?

One issue is many of the small condenser mics use phantom power from the pre-amp. How difficult would it be to add a phantom power option? What do you think?

The author recommends "big-mail order houses" for parts. Its been a while since I have done hardware and I would like to get back into it. Can anyone give any recommdations to were I could start to find a reputable "big mail-order house" on the web?

Now that we have a parts list, how about a schematic? This little amp is simple enough to draw a schematic from the perfboard layout, but such might not always be the case. As a new subscriber to Make:, I would offer the suggestion that they should include a full schematic with any electronic project.